Gateway Cup and other shiiiiiiaaaatt!!!

Well, what had been a hopeful weekend to improve on the previous weekends roadraces and crash has been anything but. My weekend started off ok, but still hadn''t done any type of recovery from the races the previous weekend. I woke up Wedensday afternoon and decided to go for a short ride. It ended up being a short three hour ride, more on this later. So now on Thursday I went to see Dr. Crane to check on my ankle that's been giving me some tendonitis pain. He used his trusty ultrasound machine to look around my ankle. I thought I had torn ligaments several years ago which I thought was causing all the pain. As it turns out, the ligaments were in tact, but my perroneal tendon was likely torn. He said what's normally 2-4 mm's was like .2 mm's, wow!!! Hopefully a little rest(yeah, right) and a round of PRP shots in both my ankles will do the trick.

Now, to the races. I was hoping to just survive Fridays race at Lafeyette Square. There was like 148 guys listed at the start line. By far, the largest field I've ever raced in. All previous battle scars bandaged up and I was ready for action. The race went ok for the first couple laps until going into turn three. Somebody flatted several riders in front of me causing a few guys to go down. Everyone started fanning out and I just did the same. Wrong move, I got barrelled into from behind causing me to hit the guy in front of me. I never did actually go down, but my bike did. When I picked it back up both rims (Easton EA90SLX's) were taco'd so riding back to the pit was not an option.....so I ran the half mile back(perfect, triathlon training) and got some sweet Zipp 404's and I could definitely tell a difference right away from my standard wheels. I sure didn't want to give these back. Anyways, several laps later, not feeling it, I decided to call it a night. I only reopened the wound on the hip, a little blood soaked through the shorts, but it was ok. The next day, I looked at my bike and as it turned out, my bike never made it into the big chainring. Somehow the cage was lower and would hit the big ring when trying to shift up. With all the bad luck, I figured my body was telling me it was time to take a break and skip Saturdays race also. Well, being as stubborn as I am, I ended up going to Saturdays race only to bow out after about 15 minutes. My legs were just not recovering when they had a chance, they were shot. I felt like I was working my ass off and yet not making any ground, in fact I was losing ground. I had to head to work right after the race, so I just called it a day and headed into work.

So, basically my highlight of the weekend was a three hour ride that seemed to also be what did me in for the Gateway Cup races and my fantasy football drafts. Tony Romo better have one hell of a season, that's all I can say. I also ruined a nice set of wheels that I propably won't get back any time soon. Oh well, I had a pretty good run for a while until these last several weekends. Luck and fitness were definetly not on my side. Two crashes, lots of donated skin to MODOT, actually INDOT, one flat, and four DNF's in the last six races is definetly not how I wanted to end the season. I could say I've had a lot going on lately, moving, racing on three hours of sleep, doing big rides before races, nagging injuries, but you know what they say, excuses are like assholes and everyone's got one. I rode throughout the whole winter never really taking a break and now I guess it must be catching up with me. Alrighty then, back to bed, hopefully I can catch a few more ZZZ's.

Race weekend......

I wasn't able to get a vacation day for the Gateway Cup, so I'll only do the first two. However, I was able to get a day off this weekend to give me the whole weekend off with two races to choose from. At first I chose to do the Sedalia/Otterville races, but then I remembered that Indianapolis had what I thought was to be like the Tour of St. Louis, a road race, TT, and a crit. I lived in Indianapolis for eight years and never did that race or really even heard of it since at that time I was mostly racing mt. bikes. So it was set, I went to Indianapolis. I was to wake up around 5am and leave by 5:30. I ended up getting up at 2am and never did get back to sleep, so needless to say I only got about three hours of sleep. I figured what the hell, a couple cups of coffee and I'd be good. Four hours later I finally arrive and register. They raced the 1, 2, 3's together, no big deal, 3's were going to be scored differently. Now here's where it gets weird. The race flyer called this a road race on a 2.5 mile course. I figure it's a typo and should have been called a circuit race. As we line it up the official says we're doing 80 plus 1, hmmmmmmm........that sounds like a crit to me, but on a 2.5 mile course? Then he says if you flat come back and you'll get a free lap..........how the hell does that happen, ride a mile on a flat???? Also, the course is on a road no wider then a one lane road, so about 6-8 ft. It's basically like racing over in Illinois on the MCT trails with covered trees on both sides. Really, the course I could deal with, but the race flyer was very misleading. The race finally gets going about a half hour late and the first lap goes without a hitch. Second lap a few breaks go away and one with a few 3's so I decide to chase it down. As I attack the climb up the hill I look back only to find two guys follow. Only two of us rotate pulls as the other guy only wants to sit in, so I'm back at the front. I'm propably doing 25mph when a 90* turn approaches. I come into it hot and had to lean the bike over pretty good and then I made a rookie mistake. I tried to pedal out of it and went right to the asphalt. The guy behind me goes down and ends up in the grass, mind you these roads are fairly narrow. At this point the main group goes by and I expend every bit of energy I have to latch back on. Very bad!!! I was already operating on three hours sleep and could tell I didn't have that extra gear to put into overdrive. Two laps later I'm dropped and one lap later I'm done. I didn't even stay to do the TT. Disappointed with the race I decided to drive back to St. Louis and do an actual road race. I visit my old neighborhood, then drive back to St. louis in time to get some sleep. That leads to todays race in Otterville, MO.

I met Brian, Denny's brother at 5am to make our way to Otterville. Thank god he's driving, eight hours yesterday is more then enough for this weekend. A little battered and bruised, but no worse for the wear. Todays race went well for a little while. I stayed at the front for most of the race, no more then three or four wheels back and played honorary blocker for my teammates who decided to go on the attack several times. My race went well for the most part until about mile 40 when the legs started to really cramp up. At this point I was still at the front with a teammate in a four man break. The peleton was really trying to chase it down now and some guy, upset that he couldn't get around finally crossed the center yellow line. He caught the break and was with my teammate Jeff as the last two on the break. I was sure Jeff was going to win it. Now to the last five miles, all the guys that I had seen for the first time since the start were also deciding to all move up, bad combination with my legs starting to cramp. We all made it to the final climb to the run-in for the finish and my legs locked up. I had to let everyone go by and go at my own pace. I ended up passing Jeff who was in the break, his legs were in full cramp mode and got passed by Denny. I ended up finishing just behind the pack, but was satisfied with the race as a whole. I really thought Jeff had it in the bag. Now here's the twist, the guy who won the race was DQ'd for the center-rule, and my buddy Todd, from Bigshark got the victory. Awesome race Todd!!! I saw him protesting with the officials afterwards, but seeing how he advanced several postions in that move, I believe it was correct.

Gateway Cup next!!!!!

fluff....

Well, it's been a light night here at the grind so I'm cruising the web, reading a few blogs of their races and I've got to admit, I wish I would've done more mt. bike races this year. I'm getting kind of anxious to get out on the old hardtail and push it through it's paces. There's a race tomorrow and here I am at work. I'd love to do it, but I would be in no shape to do a race after being up all night and getting days off are few and far between with the road schedules. Guess I'll have to make the next one.......again.

As for the homefront, I'm all moved in. No more lugging up boxes and tables up three flights of stairs. I'm all done, now all that's left is to find a place for all my crap. After last weeksTour of KC I've been able to get some good miles in this week. I got about 90 at the beginning of the week and then today got in about 72 before heading back to bed before work. 42 was solo at a good pace and then came back and picked up Jess for another 30. All that's left are some easy rides before heading to Sedalia this weekend for a crit and road race. It's easier said then done. I know Thursday will roll around(my day off) and I'll get the urge to go out for 40 or 50, it happens every week. I just signed up for the Gateway races, but unfortuneatly may only be able to do the first two races. I'll see how that plays out.

Just one more thing to add, when there's a known hornets nest in the vicinity, don't f!@# with them. I got stung about three times in the arm and it itches like crazy and it's all swollen up, all because I was trying to be a hard ass.

Tour of KC, 08 Edition...

some race weekends are definetly better then others. this one was definetly not one of them. this year i was only able to do the first two races since i've got to work on sunday and didn't want to burn the candle at both ends. anyways, fridays crit was the kansas city crit which consisted of two hills. one fairly short with a gradual climb and one about twice as long, though nothing too steep. it was definetly fast from the get go and i was only able to last about 8 laps. it was one of those races where you just have nothing in the legs. i suppose the 45 miles i rode the day before might have had a little to do with it. hey, i thought i rode nice and easy. well, that said, i pulled the chutes early in that one and figured i'd come back to fight another day..........the next day, actually, at the cliff drive classic circuit race.

new day, new legs. i felt my legs were going to be under me in this race. they were feeling much better then the day before. i was expecting it to be hot and humid like it was last year, but this year it was cool temps and drizzling rain all morning and lasted into the first part of the race. the previous racers looked like they just got done racing a muddy paris roubaix. compared to last year, this years seemed to be faster. no time to sit up and take a bit of a break like last year. this was pretty much full throttle the whole time. i was right in the thick of things the first five laps and even led the peloton over the nice little climb and about another 1/4 mile before realizing that it was time for me to get back into the peloton. the 6th lap seemed to have done me in. as we neared the climb i looked down only to find my front tire had flatted. that was pretty much my race. i waited for the wheel truck and swapped wheels, but there would be no catching the peloton at this point so i just road the last three laps solo. hmmmm.........two wet races(last years winghaven) and two flats??? i don't think i'll be running those tires in the rain again. i love my vittoria open corsa's, but they're not made for the wet stuff. i didn't want to run my trainers either because those have seen better days so i stuck with the vittorias. bad choice i guess.

more races upcoming and things can only get better after this weekend. oh, i forgot to mention my unsuccessful search for a hotel room. i ended up paying an overpriced $100 for a cheap delapadated double because that was all they had left. i knew i should've reserved it online before i left!!!

RACE...

Start race. Make left turn, almost hit Jeep parked on side of road. Make another left, small acceleration then coast up and around the bend to small hill. Pedal up hill and try to survive acceleration coming out of the next left turn. Do this 25 more times and fight the temptation to call it a day because it's so freakin' hot and sprint for 9th.